Braille Labels Make Beer Drinking for the Blind No Accident

"Spot" these beers in the dark!Blind drunk... it's a phrase that's not yet been condemned as being offensive to the visually impaired, though that may change after this article is published. Somehow though, "visually impaired drunk" just doesn't convey the right mental image.

Anyway, getting drunk to the point where you begin to lose your senses should be a conscious choice. If you actually ARE blind and sober, and wish to remain that way (the latter, at least), then Japanese brewers have got your best interests in mind.

Soda cans, beer cans, canned coffee... in Japan, it's not always easy to distinguish one from the other with your eyes closed. With that in mind, Japanese brewers have begun stamping patterns of raised dots on top of their beer cans.

In Braille, the dots read "alcohol" though some of Kirin Brewery's cans spell out "Kirin Beer". If Kirin was really smart, they'd put Braille labels on their beer vending machines before competing brands do!

Alcohol Braille identifiers on beer cans are just one more way the visually impaired are given extra consideration in Japan.

Braille raised dots can also be found on handrails leading to and from underground subway stations, where they state the name of the station. No telling whether this helps drunken Japanese "salarymen" find their way home any easier after an office party, but it sure can't hurt! (via Pingmag and Flickr)